Farmers with the United Soybean Board (USB) recently got a history lesson of how one of their products helped the biodiesel industry … an industry that is paying dividends back to those farmers in the form of better prices for their beans. AgriNews tells how during the USB’s See for Yourself program, those farmers heard from Steve Rober, Schaeffer Oil …
Conference Gives Homebrew Biodieselers a Home
Of course, most people who follow renewable fuels are familiar with the National Biodiesel Board‘s annual conference and expo. It’s a great venue for some of the bigger commercial ventures, but for those who might be brewing up a few gallons in their garages, there’s a place just for them. This article in the Aspen Business Journal talks the Collective …
Man Gets Five Years in Prison for Biodiesel Fraud
A Texas man gets five years for his part in defrauding investors to sink money into a biodiesel plant that never existed. The Houston Press reports that Kenneth Paul Lawrence was convicted on two charges for his role in raising money for a purported biodiesel plant and sentenced to five years for money laundering. According to the [Texas State] Securities …
Biodiesel Part of Soybean Demand Success
The domestic crush of soybeans is more during each of the first five months of the current marketing year (September 2012 through January 2013) than it was for the same time a year earlier. According to this analysis from Darrel Good at the University of Illinois, part of that success can be attributed to biodiesel: The amount of soybean oil …
Biodiesel-Ready Chevy Cruze Gets Even Cleaner
Chevy’s Cruze is already a pretty clean burner, as it takes the green fuel biodiesel. Now with the 2014 Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel, the company says the advanced 2.0L engine with its variable-swirl intake system creates a “perfect storm” of air and fuel that helps enhance performance while reducing emissions. “Variable swirl helps put the ‘clean’ in Cruze Clean Turbo …
U.S. Biodiesel Production Hits Record in May
Helped by federal mandates, U.S. biodiesel production hit a record level in May. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports May’s numbers reached 111 million gallons. The agency also said production in the first five months of 2013 was 449 million gallons, up 17 million gallons from the same period last year. There were 3,427 million pounds of feedstocks consumed …
Investigation Underway in Kansas Biodiesel Plant Fire
Fire destroyed a Kansas biodiesel plant, but thanks to quick work by firefighters on the scene, no injuries were reported. The Wichita Eagle reports the fire at the Green Energy Products plant in Sedgwick was particularly dangerous as fire crews from five jurisdictions faced possible burning biodiesel, corn oil and methanol. Some cylinders and other vessels exploded initially, Sedgwick County …
Biodiesel Maker REG Posts Strongest Quarter Ever
Things are looking up for biodiesel producer Renewable Energy Group. The Iowa-based company says it sold 69.2 million gallons of biodiesel during the second quarter this year, up 28 percent from the same time a year ago. Revenues also increased 42 percent from a year ago, hitting $387.1 million and an adjusted EBITDA of $41.6 million during the second quarter …
Pleasant Valley Biofuels Opens UT Biodiesel Refinery
The folks in Southern Utah enjoy some of the most stunning views I have ever seen. Now, thanks to a new biodiesel plant in the area, the air might just be a little cleaner and clearer to see those sights all the better. The St. George (UT) Spectrum reports Pleasant Valley Biofuels in Washington City, Utah, will be able possibly …
Malaysia Starts Biodiesel Mandate, Looks for More
Building on the success of a biodiesel mandate in the central part of the nation, Malaysia is starting a 5 percent biodiesel mandate in the southern part as well. And this article from Biodiesel Magazine says the Southeast Asian country could be looking to expand that requirement even more. [Malaysian Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities] says implementation of the …